OTA names top family beach destination

Crete is the top destination for family beach holidays, according to online agency On the Beach.

It compared beach destinations in 10 countries, looking at five key criteria listed by parents as the most important considerations when travelling with kids.

These were:

* Average temperature
* Average sea temperature
* Family friendly attractions (waterparks and theme parks)
* Flight duration
* Average cost for a family of four during 2018

Crete came out top with a score of 85 out of 100 as it has the highest number of family-friendly water and theme parks of all the destinations studies.

Second place was the Costa Blanca with a score of 84, due to its short flight duration from the UK, warm sea and air temperatures, and number of water and theme parks,

Cyprus third place, with a score of 83, just ahead of the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada in Spain, which was considered overall the best value country with the shortest flight duration. In total, 16 Spanish beach destinations feature in On the Beach’s Family Beach Index top 50.

Top 10 most family friendly beach holiday destinations:
1. Crete: 85.2
2. Costa Blanca:  84.3
3. Cyprus: 83.2
4. Costa Brava:  82.9
5. Costa Dorada: 82.8
6. Majorca:  82.6
7. Malta:  81.9
8. Corfu: 80.6
9. Sardinia: 82.6
10. Costa De la luz: 80.5

Best by average temperatures

Destinations across Turkey grabbed the top spots in the average temperature category, with Gumbet, Belek and Bodrum all enjoying averages of 25 celsius during the summer.

The Turkish resort of Alanya ties fourth spot, alongside the Spanish mainland region of the Costa Blanca, with both destinations averaging temperatures of 24.5 celsius between May and October.

Best by average sea temperatures

Turkey also scored highly, with Antalya, Alanya, Belek and Side all enjoying averages of 25 celcius. Cyprus was named fifth best destination to visit in terms of comfortable swimming, with an average sea temperature of 24.5.

Best by number of water parks and amusement parks

Crete has the highest number of waterparks of the top 50 destinations, including WaterCity, the largest Waterpark in Crete, located in the Anopolis Mountains.

Cyprus has nine attractions, including the award-winning Fasouri Watermania Water Park in Limassol.

Best by flight duration

The Costa Brava and the Costa Dorada regions of Spain both average flight times of under two hours and five minutes from the UK.

Majorca has an average flight time of 2 hours and 25 minutes and the Costa de la Luz, which boasts uncrowded beaches, is only slightly further away with an average flight time of just 2 hours and 30 minutes. Ibiza and Sardinia average the same journey time.

Best by holiday prices (for a family of four)

In a survey of 1,000 British families, overall value for money was the number one consideration when choosing a family holiday destination for 54% of parents. On the Beach found the lesser-known Canary Island of La Palma offered the very best value for money for families looking to grab a bargain summer holiday, followed by the Costa Calida and the Costa Brava on the Spanish mainland.

Kefalonia was named as the fourth best value holiday destination for families, followed by the Algarve.

On the Beach marketing director Alan Harding said: "Our Family Beach Index provides a data-driven look at Europe’s very best family beach destinations."

"We know that researching a perfect family holiday can take time, so we’ve used the holiday criteria that parents told us matter most to them, and crunched the numbers to create this comprehensive list."